Overview
- Election Commission officials said Amartya Sen, 92, is not required to attend an SIR hearing in person and that his voter record issue does not affect his eligibility.
- A hearing is scheduled at his Bolpur–Santiniketan residence at 12 pm on January 16, with officials citing a logical discrepancy in his enumeration form.
- Reports differ on the trigger for the notice, with officials attributing it to an age-difference entry and others mentioning a spelling error, both to be handled administratively.
- The EC reiterated guidelines that voters aged 85 and above will be attended at home by electoral officers, and that BLOs can correct minor errors without burdening citizens.
- Amid political criticism from TMC leaders and pushback from BJP figures, the EC ordered faster service of discrepancy notices, daily reporting by districts, and an all-India review with CEOs on January 8 as the SIR continues after large deletions and 1.36 crore records flagged.